A Second Chance
by mkystich
Summary: Do you believe in soulmates? Do you believe it so much that you would wait fifty years just to say I love you one last time? **ONE-SHOT**


**A/N: I have always been a sucker for stories like this. I got the idea for this one-shot from a movie called **_**Camp Fire Stories**_**, but you know me… had to tweak it around just to make it twisted. Just like me (**_**insert evil laugh**_**)**

**/8\/8\**

_BPOV_

I ran through the trees as fast as I could; my dress ripped more with every bush and branch that I brushed against. I could hear his footsteps pounding against the forest floor as he ran after me. He was drunk and in rage, again, and I knew I was just avoiding the inevitable. He always hurt me more when I ran away from him. I could see the old abandon Foster house up ahead, so I ran towards it as fast as I could.

"Bella," his voice screamed out into the cold night. "Bella, get your ass back here now."

I held back my tears as I made my way to the front door and let myself in. The lock was broken, so I grabbed a nearby floor board and tried to wedge it against the door, but it was in vain. I flew back against the wall when he kicked down the door.

I sat up and looked at his dark figure in the doorway. I scrambled back as he made his way towards me.

"Thought you could get away, didn't you?" he sneered, reaching out and grabbing me by my hair.

Before I had the chance to protest, he hit me across the face and everything went black.

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When I woke up I quickly realized that we were back home. He had somehow managed to carry me all the way back here in his drunken state. He had me tied to the fireplace again - it was his favorite place for me to restrain me. The sick fuck liked watching me cry out in pain as he tossed his empty beer bottles into the flames, causing embers to jump out and burn my skin.

I held my breath when he walked back into the room, a new beer bottle in hand. I hadn't realized I was crying until he sat down, but my sobs were quickly becoming louder as he glared at me.

He stood up and slapped me in the face. "Shut the hell up," he screamed. He reached into my hair and gripped it firmly, pulling my head back so I had to look at him. "Where did you think you were going to go, huh? For help?" He knelt down and gave a sinister smile. "Who would believe you? I'm a respected member of the community here. People think I'm a swell guy." He stood up and pushed me away. "And you're nothing but some five cent whore."

I curled up against the floor and sobbed. I had to get out of here. I had to get back to him. He was waiting for me. He said he loved me, and wanted to marry me. He told me constantly that we were meant to be together and that he would take me away from this place forever, never to return. I looked down at my shackles and cried until I fell asleep.

I wasn't sure how much time had passed, or even how I missed the sound of a car pulling up to the house, but I was jarred awake by the sound of someone banging against the front door.

"Bella? Bella, are you in there?"

_Oh God, no… please don't let this happen._

I looked at my father and cringed away from the look he was giving me.

"Who the hell is that?" My father yelled.

As the pounding got worse against the door, and so did the pounding in my chest.

My father stood up and reached out for the gun that sat on the table in front of him.

"No, daddy, please. Don't do this," I cried, as my father made his way towards the front door. He pulled the latch and let the door swing open. As he stepped out into the dark night, and I tried to steady my rapidly beating heart so I could hear what was being said.

"Get off my property, boy," My father growled.

"Not without Bella," my love fired back.

"Wrong answer." My father laughed, clocking his gun back and firing a single shot.

I sat there on the floor, stunned, as my father walked back into the house as if nothing had happened. I dared myself to take a glance at him, and nearly fainted from the sight of the blood that was splattered across his shirt.

Memories of my love's soft caresses, and kisses, floated through my mind as I watched his blood drip down my father's arm. I had never felt so loved as I did the day he said he wanted to marry me. He always treated me as if I was the most precious thing he had ever held, and when we made love for the first time… I nearly cried from the overwhelming feelings I experianced. He was my soul mate, and now he was gone. What was the point in living on without him?

"I hate you," I whispered, feeling my tears falling down my cheek.

"What did you say?" My father sneered.

I looked up at him and pulled at my restraints. "I hate you," I yelled. "I hate you with every cell in my body. I hate that you're my father, and that I'm stuck living in this hell hole with you." He slowly started walking towards me, but I didn't care. I didn't care about anything anymore. "I hate you for crushing any hope I had left for a life. I hate you for taking away the only person that has ever loved me." He was standing in front of me now, eyes wide with fury as I kept going. "And most of all, I hate you for killing the father of my child, you murdering bastard."

My father lifted up his gun as high as he could and aimed it directly at me. I closed my eyes and said a silent prayer in the hopes that he would kill me, so I could see my love again.

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**/8\/8\**

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_EPOV_

"How much further are you, sweet heart?"

I looked over at my map and sighed. "If I drive straight through the night I might get home by noon tomorrow," I chuckled.

"No, I wouldn't be able to sleep if I knew you were driving with little sleep. You pull into the closest hotel as soon as you can. Understand?"

I laughed and nodded my head. "Yes, mom."

"I'm serious, Edward," my mom pushed. "Right Carl?"

"Do as your mother says." My dad yelled in the background.

I tapped the back of my head against the headrest and groaned. "Mom, I promise, okay?" I didn't notice the dark clouds rolling in, but I started to pay attention when I saw a few rain drops hit my windshield. "Mom, I have to go. It's starting to rain."

"Okay, honey. Drive safe and find a hotel or something."

There was a soft beeping noise and then my phone went dead. I looked at the screen and saw that I no longer had a signal.

"Well, isn't that just perfect?"

I tossed the useless piece of crap over on the passenger seat and started fiddling with the knobs of the radio. And just my luck there was nothing but static.

"What the hell is this, Dead Zone USA?"

I switched off the radio and reached over for my CD case. I flipped through the selection until I found one of my favorites.

"A little Green Day maestro," I nodded, sliding it in. I forwarded the songs until I found my favorite. I tapped my fingers against the steering wheel to the music while singing along. "Say, hey… yeah."

I nodded my head and laughed at the irony of the song. Being in the military, not many of us admit out loud that we're all big Green Day fans. After their last two albums it was made pretty clear they didn't like the government that much. I was just glad that I was finally done with the whole thing. After four years I had had my fill.

"I beg to dream and differ from the hollow lies. This is the dawning of the rest of our lives. On holiday!" I sang loudly.

The rain was really starting to come down now, and it was becoming increasingly hard to see the road. I looked around and all I could see was farm land and trees. It had been two hours since I passed through a town, and even calling it a town was a stretch. I was about to consider just pulling over when a loud bang went off and my car started to swerve.

"Shit," I groaned, slowing the car down and pulling it over. Grabbing my jacket, I draped it over my head and got out of the car. As soon as I got out I saw the flat tire. "Are you fucking kidding me?" I yelled, kicking the tire. I got back in the car and slammed the door. "Fuck me." I reached for my phone, but then groaned when I remembered that I had no signal out here. Running my hands through my hair I rested my forehead against the steering wheel. "Mom is going to freak."

Deciding that I didn't want to be stuck out here all night, I threw everything that was worth stealing into the trunk of my car, put a few things in my backpack, and set off to find help.

After walking about half a mile I noticed a faint light seeping through a thick cluster of trees. I wrapped my jacket tighter around me, I got off the main road and started making my way towards the light. The rain lightened up a little, and I started to notice a small puff of smoke over the tops of the trees. After a few yards I came to a clearing, and found myself in front of a small two story house. The light seemed to be coming from a few lit candles that were placed by the windows, and I could see the fireplace burning brightly through the living room window.

I quickly made my way towards the house, and up the stairs, to the front door. Taking a deep breath, I raised my fist and knocked on the door. I shook out my wet hair and ran my hand through it, trying to look presentable in some small way. Out of the corner of my eyes I saw the drapes move, and then heard a few footsteps.

"Hello?" I called out. "I'm sorry to bother you, but my car got a flat tire up the road, and I just need to use your phone to call for help." I heard some more movement, and then a lock turn. I took a step back so as not to overcrowd the owner of the house. Probably some poor old lady with a billion cats.

The door opened just a crack and all I could see was a small sliver of a woman's face.

"Hi," I smiled. "I'm really sorry to bother you, but my phone has no service out here and I just need to call your local tow company." The door slowly opened and I found myself at a loss for words. This was no little old lady. She was young, maybe a little younger than me, and absolutely drop dead gorgeous. She had long dark thick hair that almost reached her waist, smooth porcelain skin, and her eyes – it was as if she was looking right into my soul. I cleared my throat and smoothed back my hair again. "I promise, miss, I won't be more than a few minutes."

She looked over my shoulder, I'm guessing at all the rain pouring down, and opened the door wider so I could walk in. As soon as I was inside she quickly shut and locked the door behind me. She had herself pressed tightly against the door, and I took that as a sign that she was probably scared of me. Not wanting to frighten the girl, I extended my hand and smiled. "My name is Edward," I whispered, hoping she would at least take my hand. She took a timid step forward and placed her hand in mine. It felt so soft, and yet so cold, but that didn't surprise me – all the girl had on was a flimsy white dress that went down to her knees. Not that I was complaining, the girl was breathtaking.

"And your name?" I asked. She quickly took her hand away from mine, and shook her head. "What?" I chuckled. "You don't have a name?"

She shook her head and lifted her hand, lightly tapping it against her throat. I couldn't believe the idea didn't come to me earlier.

"You can't talk, can you?"

She shook her head no.

I scratched the back of my neck and sighed. "I'm sorry to say that the only signs of sign language I know is this one." I held up my hands and made the sign for I love you, and then slipped my hands in my pocket. She gave a sweet blush and tucked her hair behind her ear. Really wanting, no, _needing _to know her name, I tried again. "How about you try and sign your name to me. I remember a few letters. I just feel really crappy not knowing your name."

She looked up from her long lashes and smiled, softly nipping at her bottom lip. Her hand started slowly moving up to her neck, and towards the silver pendant that hung just above her cleavage. She twisted it around her fingers and took a step towards me. Realizing she was trying to show it to me, I also took a step closer, and found myself toe to toe with this dream girl. She lifted the pendant higher, and I saw that there was an inscription. _Isabella_.

"Your name is Isabella?"

She smiled and nodded, but then lifted her hand and pinched her finger and thumb together.

Not understanding what she was trying to say, I shook my head and gave a soft shrug. "I'm sorry, I don't understand."

She pointed to her name on the pendant and then pinched her finger and thumb together again. Than an idea hit me. Small.

"Small?" I asked.

She smiled and nodded, again.

"Like a nickname?"

She bit her bottom lip again and put her finger to the tip of her nose. _Awesome, we are getting somewhere._

I shifted my feet and rubbed my hand across my forehead. "A nickname for Isabella… um… like Izzy?"

She quickly made a face and stuck out her tongue. I couldn't help but laugh.

"Okay, not Izzy. Um, what about Ella?"

She got a little excited about that one and motioned for me to keep going.

_Ella… Ella…_ "Bella?" I said out loud, not really meaning to.

She smiled brightly and tapped her finger on her nose. I couldn't help but laugh at her enthusiasm.

Grateful that I finally had a name to put with this beautiful face, I reached out and took her hand in mine. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Bella." I smiled, shaking her hand softly. Bella blushed again, and gave a soft nod.

_Okay, now that introductions are done, let's get down to business. _

"Okay, Bella, now about that phone?"

She glanced up at me and looked like she was about to cry. She reached for a piece of her hair and started playing with it.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

She went over to a small lamp that sat on a table by the door and flipped the switch, but it didn't turn on. I then remembered seeing the candles by the windows earlier and sighed.

"The power is out, isn't it?"

She nodded her head, but wouldn't look at me. Not wanting her to feel bad, I moved towards her and took her hand.

"Hey, it's okay. With the storm outside I'm not surprised."

Her gaze moved from her feet, to our hands, and then slowly up to my eyes. I gently ran my thumb over the back of her hand, and smiled, to show her that I wasn't upset. I saw a faint lift at the corner of her mouth, and even thought I felt her tighten her grip around my hand. I wanted to use my other hand to reach over and move some of her hair in her face, but she let go of my hand before I could respond to the impulse. She held up and finger, and then walked away – disappearing into the darkness of the house.

Not knowing what to do, I did what she asked and waited. She came back quickly with a towel and an old blue flannel shirt for me.

"Thank you." I grinned, happy that I had not only had I found a beautiful girl, but also a caring one as well. She motioned for me to follow her, and led me to a large living room. I instantly walked over to the fireplace and held my hands up to the flames. I hadn't realized how cold I was until just then. I nearly jumped when I felt Bella reach out and start helping me with my coat. She stepped aside and sat it near the fire to dry. Without thinking, I tugged off my shirt and tossed it next to my jacket. I heard a gasp and turned to see Bella gazing at me. She quickly turned her back and hid her face in her hands.

"I'm sorry," I said softly. I grabbed the towel and dried myself off. My dog tags clanged against my chest as I ran the towel over them. I was running the towel over my head when I felt a hand touch my chest. I looked up to see Bella holding my dog tags in her hand. She seemed deep in thought while looking at them. "I was in the Army," I said, not sure if she figured it out.

She looked up at me and her brows creased.

"I just got out last week. Four years was enough for me."

She must have noticed the scar on my arm because she reached over towards it and ran her fingers across the raised flesh.

"Oh, um, I was shot," I murmured, dropping the towel on the floor.

She looked up at me with wide eyes, and could even see them brimming with tears.

"I'm okay, Bella. See," I smiled, flexing my arm. "Still in full working condition."

She looked back over at my scar, and ran her fingers over it again. But what shocked me was that she leaned forward and pressed her lips against it. My breath hitched at the feeling of her soft lips against my skin. When she started to pull away, I reached down and cupped her cheek in my hand. She looked up at me with her dark eyes, and I knew I just had to kiss her. I slowly lowered my lips until I felt my nose graze against hers. I could feel her breath against my face, and after doing a quick gut check, I closed the gap between us and pressed my lips against hers.

She seemed frozen at first, probably shocked by my boldness, but when I let my thumb run over her flushed cheek she seemed to relax instantly. I felt her hands softly touch my arms, and I lifted my free hand to the small of her back, pulling her flush against my body. She felt like heaven in my arms. Her hands slowly trailed up my arms, over my neck, and finally came to rest in my hair. I moaned against her lips when I felt her nails scrape against my scalp.

I was lost, completely and utterly bewildered by the feeling of this woman. It was as if I could feel her needs, her desires; her every ache that seemed to match my own. All of this from her soft lips. Needing to feel more, I lifted her in my arms, and carefully placed her on the floor next to the fireplace. Never once letting my lips leave hers, I lowered myself beside her, where I continued to fall in love with her kiss.

After awhile we pulled away from each other, and Bella rested her forehead against my chest. I smiled when I felt her play with my dog tags.

"I bet you'd have the most beautiful voice if you could talk," I whispered.

She ran her fingers over an imaginary design on my stomach, and then left a soft kiss over it. It had been a long time since I had a girl in my arms, and I fell asleep in peace, hoping I'd be able to experience this with her again.

**/8\/8\**

When I finally woke up it took me a minute to figure out where I was, but where I was wasn't what I remembered. I woke up by a fireplace, but it was covered in dust and spider webs - not neat and clean like before. There was no furniture, or candles in the windows, but only thick planks of wood that covered the broken windows. And most importantly, no Bella. I got up and dusted myself off, nabbing my now dry shirt and jacket off the floor. I slipped them on quickly and stumbled out the door, running as fast as I could towards the main road. When I got through the clearing of trees I saw a car in the distance driving towards me.

"Stop," I yelled, waving my hands.

Just my luck, it was a police car. He slowed to a stop, and rolled down his window. "Hey, son. You wouldn't happen to be Edward, would you?"

Slightly out of breath, I nodded my head and chuckled. "Yes, sir."

The Officer pushed back the brim of his hat with his thumb and smiled. "We found your car about two hours ago, and my deputy and I have been driving back and forth along this road looking for you since. I'd be happy to take you into town where your car got towed."

"I'd really appreciate that, Officer, thank you." I made my way around to the passenger side and opened the door, but stopped and looked over towards the direction of Bella's house.

"Someone else with you, son?" The officer asked.

Shaking my head, I got in and shut the door. "No, just thought I saw something."

"Oh, you wouldn't be the first to say that around here," the cop laughed.

Intrigued by this I pushed for him to continue.

"Well, about fifty years ago there was a father and daughter who lived in a house in those woods back there. They said that the father was a mean drunk, and would beat on his daughter constantly. Well ,I guess his daughter fell in love with some guy in town and they were going to run off together, but the dad wasn't having that. When the boyfriend showed up the father shot the kid in cold blood, and then went back into the house and beat and strangled that poor girl to death. Practically crushed her windpipe."

I sat there in horror as the officer went on to say that the father became insane with fear that he would be caught, and shot himself hours later.

"Pretty little thing, too, that girl. I remember seeing her picture in the paper. What was her name again? Annabella, Clarabella, … something Bella."

Just then I felt something odd dangling off the end of my dog tags. I reached in, and pulled them out of my shirt, and I nearly stopped breathing when Bella's little silver heart pendant came tumbling out with them. I looked at it closely, and sure enough, it said, "Isabella."

The cop laughed and smacked my leg. "Hey, yeah. That was it alright. Isabella. Poor girl died two days before she turned twenty. Rumor was that she might have been pregnant, but no one checked for those types of things back then."

I really wasn't paying attention to anything the man was saying. I was staring at the pendant in my hand – it was one of the most impossible thing I had ever seen. How could it be real? How the hell was I holding it in my hand? After a closer examination, I saw that it wasn't a pendant, but a locket. I opened it up and a small folded piece of paper flopped out. I continued to ignore the cop's rambling, and picked the piece of paper off my lap and unfolded it.

_My dearest love, I knew our souls would find each other again. I love you, and will find you again._

I looked inside the locket, and sure enough there was a small picture of Bella, but on the other side was a picture of a man. A man that looked all too familiar. I closed it shut and held it tight in my hand.

It was real. She was real. She had been dead for fifty years, and yet I spent a majority of last night holding her in my arms. I had to have be going crazy.

**/8\/8\**

I sighed as I drove my way up the long driveway towards my parent's house. I had never been so happy to see my childhood home.

Before I had a chance to even open my door, my mom was running out the house, and to my car.

"Your home, your home," she chanted, as she wrapped her arms around my neck.

"Yes, mom," I laughed, pulling her in closer.

"Worry about your bags later," she sniffled, pulling away. "You're just in time for dinner."

"Good, because I'm starved," I nodded, wrapping my arm around my mom and walking in the house.

Once inside my mother announced loudly that I was home. "Carl, Alice, come welcome home Edward."

My dad walked around the corner and gave me a tight hug, and then I heard the squeal of my little sister Alice as she pounced onto me the second my father pulled away.

"I have missed you so much," Alice whispered, kissing my cheek.

"I have missed you, too, peanut." I smiled, giving her a tight squeeze.

Alice pulled away and wiped away a fallen tear. She took my hand and led me to the living room. "Edward I would like for you to meet my boyfriend, Jasper." Jasper stood up from the couch and extended his hand. I looked over at my father, who gave a nod of approval, before I took the kid's hand and shook it.

"Welcome home, Edward," Jasper nodded.

"Thank you." I smiled.

"Hey Ali, your mom told me took pick the wine but I can't choose," a voice rang out from the kitchen.

"B, get your ass in here," Alice yelled.

And what walked in the room left me speechless. She was small, soft, and beautiful. She had thick dark hair, soulful brown eyes, and porcelain white skin. It was my…

"Bella."

**/8\/8\**

**A/N: So what did you think? Were you happy for Bella or still felt sad for her? I don't know why, but I've been getting really into one-shot lately. If you liked this one then go check out my others. **

**(Now back down the rabbit hole to work on some more weird ideas)**


End file.
